As you can see from my Orange Robe, I am a

Bhikku, or monk in the Theravada Tradition of

Buddhism.Theravada means “The way of the elders”, and

is the oldest form of Buddhism, that

emphasises that, in order to become

enlightened, one must live as the Buddha did,

as a homeless wanderer, with few possessions.

Theravada Buddhism is practised in

countries all over the far east, as well as Sri Lanka, and

has also travelled to Britain and the USA

As Bhikkus we are members of the Sangha – the community that is working

towards enlightenment. Living in a community is important for us, as it helps us get closer to enlightenment – we live in

a disciplined way that reduces attachment, and we are surrounded by people who are all working towards the

same goal.

In the monastery we spend a lot of

time concentrating upon our own meditation

practice. The Buddha taught

that this was very important to reach enlightenment, so as bhikkus we are able to have lots

of time to concentrate on

this.

Another important part of our daily routine is Puja – this is

not really worship, as the Buddha is not a

God, but is a way of offering

respect to the work that he did,

and his teachings, that

will help us achieve

enlightenment.

One way that we can show respect for the Buddha’s

teaching is by looking after the beautiful Rupas (images) of the Buddha, that we have here in the

temple, to remind us what we are

working towards.

A great way to show your respect to the Buddha, and what he achieved, is to

make an offering – I give flowers and incense. Anyone

can do this, not just bhikkus.

Another important part of our job is to look after the laity – we help them

celebrate their weddings & funerals, we teach them the Dharma,

and how to meditate, and we lead Puja for

them.

Monks are very visible in our society, as they

go out on the alms round every day. As well as supplying the food for the monks,

this gives us an opportunity to remind the laity (people who are not monks) that

there are people who are working hard at

becoming enlightened.

Here in Thailand, it is easy to remember that there are people who have chosen to live as bhikkus, and

work at their enlightenment – you will see us every day, even in the cities!

Living as bhikkus we are concentrating

on the dharma, so we don’t have time to

grow or prepare our own food. We go out on

the Alms round every day, to

collect offerings of food from the

laity

It is important for members of

the laity to provide for the bhikkus – not

only do we gain merit by this

selfless giving (which may help

us towards enlightenment in future lives), but

we also show that we value the bhikkus’

presence in our society!

We think it is important to look after the bhikkus, so we place food

in their alms bowls when we visit the temple every day, as

well as giving to monks on the alms round.

As well as meditating, and

doing Pujas, a lot of our time is spent

studying – we have to know the

Buddha’s teachings really well, so that

we can teach people. I’m reading

the Dhammapadda, which is a book of

the Buddha’s teaching.

And I’m studying the Vinaya Pitaka,

which contains all the rules on how we should live as Monks – there are a lot to

learn, and I’ve got to learn them all, as we chant them together on Uposatha Days.

I’m still learning the chants that we have to sing in the daily puja,

and the ten precepts – the basic rules that we

have to follow as bhikkus.

I remember when I first became a

bhikku, as a young boy.

You have to be in good health,

without dependents, and without debts, if

you want to enter the Sangha.

My parents gave me the five things that would be my only possessions

in the Sangha

My robe

A Razor to shave my

head

My Alms Bowl

A Water Strainer

A Needle &

Thread

My head was shaved, so that I would no

longer be attached to my appearance, and to help remind me that I was now part of the

community

I received my new robe – it was hard to

get used to wearing it at first, and it felt

funny to look exactly like everyone else!

We all lined up with our new robes, and

offerings, to pay our respects to the Abbot

of the monastery.

We did the “taking refuge” ceremony in

front of the Abbot, and then promised to obey

the monastic rules.

“I go to the Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dharma

for refuge, I go to the Sangha for refuge. I go to

the Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dharma for refuge, I

go to the Sangha for refuge. I go to the Buddha for

refuge, I go to the Dharma for refuge, I go to the Sangha for refuge”.

Learning all the rules & ways of life was hard work for the first few months.

We are very lucky that we have the time and space to practise the dharma. The

monastery is a peaceful, calm place where it is easy for us to meditate – having that quiet

place, and the support, makes it easier to meditate.